Los Angeles: Sunburns, Synthwave, and Seriously Sketchy Burritos
okay, so. los angeles. where do i even begin? i’m a touring session drummer, right? I’m used to weird cities, late nights, and questionable catering. but la… la is something else. it’s like someone threw a bunch of different movie sets into a blender and then decided to build a city on top of the resulting smoothie.
I just checked and it’s… a shimmering haze of heat right now. like, the kind of heat that makes your sunglasses feel judgmental. the kind that whispers, “are you sure you need that iced latte?” i’m not complaining, honestly. i thrive in chaos, and la is basically a beautifully chaotic ecosystem.
I was here for a gig - a corporate thing, ugh - playing drums for some tech bros celebrating… something. i don’t even remember. the point is, i had a few days to kill before flying back to wherever-i-am-this-week, and i decided to dive in. i’m not a planner. never have been. my travel style is more like “point myself vaguely in a direction and see what happens.”
First things first: the food. oh, the food. i’m a drummer, so i need fuel. i need carbs. i need things that will let me bang on drums for three hours straight without collapsing. i tried this place in *Echo Park - some hole-in-the-wall burrito joint. someone told me that the salsa is “basically lava.” they weren’t kidding. it was… an experience. i’m still not entirely sure what was in it, but it definitely had a kick. check out the reviews on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=burrito&find_loc=Los+Angeles%2C+CA. you’ve been warned.
I spent a lot of time just wandering. Silver Lake is cool, very cool. all these little boutiques and coffee shops. i’m a sucker for a good latte, obviously. i found this place, “Chromatic Coffee,” that apparently roasts their own beans. it was… intense. like, aggressively good. i’m pretty sure the barista judged my choice of oat milk. i’m not even kidding. you can find them on TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g32811-Los_Angeles_California-cuisines.html.
I also stumbled into this weird synthwave concert in Downtown LA. it was in this abandoned warehouse, all neon lights and echoing beats. the crowd was… interesting. a lot of people wearing sunglasses at night. a lot of people who looked like they’d just stepped out of a cyberpunk movie. it was amazing. i’m always down for something weird.
“Heard a rumor that if you play the right chord at the Bradbury Building, you can summon a ghost of a silent film star.”
I spent an afternoon exploring Griffith Observatory. the views are insane. you can see the whole city spread out below you. it’s a little touristy, sure, but it’s worth it for the panorama alone. Plus, you can check out the exhibits. i’m a sucker for anything space-related.
If you get bored, Santa Monica and Venice Beach are just a short drive away. Venice is… a lot. let’s just say you’ll see things. things you can’t unsee. i’m not going to elaborate.
Honestly, la is exhausting. it’s overwhelming. it’s… a lot. but it’s also kind of magical. it’s a place where anything can happen. where you can stumble into the most unexpected things. where you can eat a burrito that might actually be sentient. i’d go back. probably. maybe. definitely when i need a serious dose of sunshine and weirdness. check out some local forums for more tips: https://www.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/.
pro-tips for surviving la:
wear sunscreen. seriously. the sun is relentless.
learn to parallel park. it’s a skill you’ll need.
embrace the chaos. don’t fight it. just go with the flow.
carry cash. some of the best places don’t take cards.
be prepared to be judged by baristas.
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